Country — January 17, 2018

St. Augustine’s

lush gardens and

courtyards take

visitors back in time.

W

ith a fascinating
past and more
than four centu-
ries of history,
St. Augustine is
the nation’s oldest continuously
inhabited city—and an American
treasure. Located on Florida’s
Atlantic coast, it is home to many
fine examples of European colonial
architecture and wild, scenic vistas.

In 1513, while searching for the

storied Fountain of Youth, explorer

Juan Ponce de Leon happened upon

this land. He called it La Florida and

claimed it for Spain. Then, in 1565,

conquistador Don Pedro Menendez

de Aviles established a settlement

here, which he named in honor

of a Catholic saint. Except for a

20-year period of English rule,

Florida remained under Spanish

governance until the United States

took control in 1821.

In the years after its founding, the

city was attacked by the French and

English, and by Native Americans of

the Timucua tribe, who are said to

have shot flaming arrows at the

city’s fort, setting it ablaze. More

recently, nature has battered the

region with successive hurricanes—

Matthew in 2016 and Irma in 2017.

America’s Oldest City

Coastal beauty, colonial architecture and a

storied past await travelers in St. Augustine.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY PAT & CHUCK BLACKLEY

THIS PLACE MATTERS

52 COUNTRY-MAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018